


Experiments

by consult_the_potato



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/M, Professor Pines AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 06:33:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16034951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/consult_the_potato/pseuds/consult_the_potato
Summary: As you type out a quick reminder email(Please remember; All taxidermy projects must stay in airtight containers when not on display!), you hear a quick knock at your door. You wave the visitor in, and look up to meet the eye of an exasperated Stanford Pines.“Hello–Sorry to interrupt, my assistant cancelled on me very last minute,” He looks at you hopefully, biting his lip as he adjusts his glasses on his nose, “Would you be willing to help me?”





	Experiments

Although Dr. Pines called your name on the roll sheet every morning for your 9AM Cryptozoology class, it had taken him a semester before he’d even noticed you. You barely got a second glance from him until you started working in the main office of the Animal Sciences building at the university you attended.

Stanford Pines was a handsome man, albeit a bit on the younger side for a professor. Very often, he would burst in mere moments before his class started, hastily ask for some hand-written ( _and_ hand-drawn? Impressive.) papers to be copied, and give you a sheepish smile to ask for them to be delivered ASAP. Although it was a little bit against the rules, you did it for him anyway; after all, he was a great professor, and very kind each time he’d spoken to you. 

As you type out a quick reminder email _(Please remember; All taxidermy projects must stay in airtight containers when not on display!)_ , you hear a quick knock at your door. You wave the visitor in, and look up to meet the eye of an exasperated Stanford Pines. “Hello–Sorry to interrupt, my assistant cancelled on me very last minute,” He looks at you hopefully, biting his lip as he adjusts his glasses on his nose, “Would you be willing to help me?”

You blink once, then twice before registering what he’s saying. “Right, yeah!” You say, hitting send on the email before standing. You could switch a few things around later today, maybe ask one of the other student workers to cover for you. You didn’t really want to pass up an opportunity to gain some brownie points with your cute professor. You grab your wallet and shove it into your back pocket, spinning your key ring on one finger as you move from your desk. 

“Thank you so much,” He sighs in relief, pushing the door open for you as you slip out behind him. He stands awkwardly in the hall as you lock up the office, and walks beside you in silence toward his classroom. 

“What, exactly, is it that you’re needing help with, sir?” You ask as you walk, looking up at him. Your shorter legs struggle to keep up with his long strides, resulting in him looking back at you over his shoulder. 

“A creature I’ve brought for the class to observe. He can be quite a..handful, you must understand.” His hands wave hair from his eyes as he turns a corner, walking to his office. He pulls keys from his pocket and fumbles with them for a second, giving you time to catch up and stand beside him as he turns the knob. You’re a little nervous to see what kind of creature he would need assistance with, and nearly flinch as he pushes the door open.

You see what looks to be a little bearded man, only about a foot-and-a-half high (that extra half only comes from the pointy hat atop his head), locked in a heavy-duty cage. Probably a good thing, too, as the creature was attempting to gnaw on the bars of the cage. 

“Quit that!” Ford reprimands the thing, quickly tapping on the top of the cage as he picks it up by the handle. “Would you mind carrying him? I have to grab a few other things.” He smiles at you, offering the caged man your way. 

“What, uh..Is he?” You ask, fingers curling around the handle. You quickly look away as his fingers brush yours, pulling away to find said papers.

“A gnome!” He answers with a grin, ducking beneath his desk and rummaging through a drawer. “One of the leaders, at that! It’s very rare to capture such a prime specimen–however, he is still feral, watch your hands.” Ford warns, looking at you from over the frames of his glasses. 

You shift the cage in your hands, raising it to look at the gnome inside. He winks and clicks his tongue at you, shooting finger guns in your direction. You frown, looking to Dr. Pines again. 

“…Huh.” He’s looking at you with a raised brow, a crooked frown set on his lips. “I’ve not seen how these creatures interact with, ah…People of your figure.” Ford gives you a quick once-over as he speaks, and you feel your ears go pink from the attention. He ducks down again, pulling a stack of papers from his desk drawer and closing it with his foot as he stands. “No matter, I’m sure he’ll still behave.” Dr. Pines looks down at the creature as he stops beside you, scowling down at the gnome as it growls back at him. 

Apparently, the two aren’t quite friends. “Shh,” you reprimand the gnome, and it moves to the corner of the cage closest to your face, crossing its arms and sticking its tongue out at Dr. Pines before smiling your way. 

Dr. Pine’s eyebrow cocks up once more before he thoughtfully hums, grabbing a pen from his desk and scribbling something down on the paper on top of the stack. He lets you out of the room and into the hall first, staying back to shut and lock up the door with his free hand. 

The walk to his room upstairs is quiet, save for the gnome humming to get your attention and giving you goo-goo eyes as he lays down in his cage, head propped up on his hands and elbows. You frown at it again, looking to Dr. Pines as he continues ahead of you. 

His salt-and-pepper hair bounces as he strides into his classroom, pleased to see many of his students already in the room and chatting amongst themselves. “So!” He startles many of them from their conversations, “Today we have a guest,” Grinning, he motions at you, and then to the cage in your hand, “And a specimen! An exciting one, at that.” The class looks less than enthused with the growling menace in the cage looking back at them, but that’s what you were here for…you think.

You quietly tut at the gnome, giving it a look and a frown as it hastily apologizes to you. The little monster really does listen to you. You look around at the class, a little embarrassed at being the center of attention (or, at least, holding the center of attention in a cage in your hands). As you look around the room, you see only men’s eyes on you. Although it is a small class anyway, there are no other women around. Just you. 

Which is just amazing odds for the gnome, it seems to think. He’s taken to ratting the cage bars to get you to look at him, only to compliment your eyes or dimples as he gets your attention. The room is quiet for just a little too long, and you look up expectantly at Dr. Pines, who is watching with raised brows and wide eyes. He’s been observing and taking notes during this, sitting thoughtfully on the edge of his desk as the clicker of his pen rests between slightly parted lips. 

_“Fascinating.”_

You meet his eye, and he turns away, moving quickly to address the class and continue with whatever vague lesson plans he has. You see him tug at his collar, his cheeks faintly pinker than you remember. You set the gnome down on the edge of the professor’s desk, resting your hand atop the handle as you listen in to his lecture.

“As we know, anomalous creatures are oftentimes unpredictable. In example, this creature,” he points to the gnome with his pen as it bares its teeth to him, “Is seemingly hostile towards masculine-bodied individuals. But with a, uhm…differently-bodied individual,” he motions to you without meeting your eye, “He seems to show a kinder, respectful behavior.”

Dr. Pines wasn’t wrong. The gnome in question has somehow found a way to reach the tip of your finger through the top of the cage, and is cradling it, giving it light kisses as he gives it a death grip. You tug your hand away with a spooked sound, checking your finger for injuries. The creature grins at you, flashing a quick wink. You try not to roll your eyes at it as Dr. Pines continues to speak.

“So, what would it do outside of the cage?” A student asks. He’s near the front of the class—one of those underclassmen that look like a real know-it-all.

“Well,” Stanford begins, hand coming to his chin thoughtfully, “I imagine he could either try to escape entirely, attack one of you gentlemen, or otherwise continue showing my assistant the same affections he has been.”

You wrinkle your nose at that, quietly hoping that he doesn’t test his theory. But, if you knew the science-types, he was going to do it anyway. You look up at the professor with expectant eyes, making a mental note to press for some extra credit. 

He looks back at you with a curious gaze, and a new fire behind his eyes. _Oh no, he’s so cute._ “Well, would you mind? I’m sure you’re as interested in finding the answer as the rest of us.” He shoots you a sheepish smile, reaching into his pocket and returning it with a small key in the palm of his hand, offered out to you. You make no move to stop the smile playing at your lips, taking the key from his hand. His smile widens to a crooked grin, ordering one of the boys of the class to shut the windows up tight, and he moves to stand in front of the closed door, just in case.

You look down at the gnome, who has perked up with the excitement. He’s looking around the class expectantly, almost not noticing when you put the key into the lock and turn it. With a soft click, the padlock comes undone, and you pull it away before slowly opening the cage door, away from you and facing the class.

The gnome launches itself from its cage as soon as your hand is moved from its door. He jumps down from the desk onto the floor, and gives a look around. He looks pensively towards the window, baring his teeth at the student stationed there as he walks up. Some of the boys nearest him curl their legs up close in their desks, avoiding those sharp teeth. He growls at the boy once more, and you almost smirk at the worry on his face. _Hey, it was his idea to let the little monster out in the first place._

At the boy’s face of terror, Ford clears his throat. The gnome turns around to look at him, and runs at him, baring those sharp teeth again as he barrels towards the tall man. Ford braces for impact, his forearms up and blocking his head–much like a boxer. In the second before the gnome launches itself into Ford, you stick out your leg and trip the creature, watching it fall facedown in front of you. 

You look down at it with wide eyes, and look up to Dr. Pines, whose gaze matches your own. You hear the creature grunt as it sits back up and looks at you, and you damn near see his eyes turn into little hearts. He runs at your legs, launching himself into your shins and squeezing you tight. You squeak, throwing out your arms as you lose your balance. Before you can grab the edge of the desk, you feel a strong chest at your back, and six fingers grab each of your shoulders to keep you upright. 

You look back at Dr. Pines before squirming at the gnome. The little monster is climbing up your clothes, gripping your belt loops tight as it scales up to your torso. The others of the class stand still, somewhat shell shocked at claws digging into your body as it climbs. 

Before you know it, the gnome is clawing at your chest, pulling the neck of your shirt down more than you’d like as it tries valiantly to kiss you. He succeeds in reaching his lips to your neck, then your throat, before Dr. Pines shrugs you into his waiting chair, gripping the gnome by its beard and yanking it from you. He turns away, but you hear him hiss in pain before throwing the creature back into its cage and locking the door.

You look at the class in surprise, and they in return look both to you and to Dr. Pines, who is now gripping his wrist as he pants quietly. He leans up against his desk like he did before, casting you a glance over his eyeglasses. “Are you alright?” His eyes search yours, then graze over your body, searching for any signs of injury. You flush as you catch his gaze stopping at your chest, where the creature had torn the collar of your shirt, but nod, rubbing the spot and trying to fix yourself without wincing. The damn thing scratched you pretty good. 

“Alright.” Stanford looks out at the class, flashing them a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “That’s enough excitement for a day, hmm? Write a paragraph on what behaviors to look out for in this species, have those ready to turn in by Tuesday.” He assigns, then turns away from them. The men seem rather used to it, many of them already standing and gathering their things, chatting as they leave. 

You clear your throat as the class leaves, looking up at Dr. Pines as he shuts the door behind the last couple of stragglers. 

“To be fair, I didn’t expect any of that to happen.” He says as he turns back around to face you, frowning at the teeth marks that litter his hand and wrist. He looks at you, his crooked frown still set on his lips as he spies a few claw marks on your collarbone. “How, uhm…How long are those scratches?” Averting your eye, he moves back to the desk and sets the cage down onto the hardwood floor. 

You look haphazardly down at yourself, pulling at the ruined collar of your shirt to look at your skin. The scratches are long and somewhat jagged, seeping blood at the deeper edges. They go down to the middle of one breast, you admit to him (a goddamn stuttering mess), adding that you can feel scratches down to your hip, as well. 

He sighs, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. If you come with me back to my office, I can patch up those scratches. You may want to come sooner than later, gnome-related injuries are known to make situations, uh…Hairier. “ He looks down at his battered hand, then glances back, his eyes flitting to your exposed skin–the scratches there. 

Your ears burn, and you clear your throat, standing and gathering a few papers to try and cover up your skin before having to walk through the hall. He silently picks up the cage, and shifts around a few desks in the room to tidy up, before standing at the door to wait for you. 

“Ready when you are.” Dr. Pines looks to you with a half-smile, inclining his head to the door. You follow him and stand at his side as you wait for him to lock up. Like before, it takes a little fumbling, but he manages. It’s a quicker walk back to his office–you can tell he’s trying to cover your exposed skin with his own body as best he can as you walk to his office.

He quickly unlocks the door, motioning to you to come in. You set down the papers on his desk, and he steps in behind you, kicking the door closed.

“Dr. Pines, I’m sorry about…this.” You mumble, rubbing your arm self-consciously. It’s starting to dawn on you what he means by ‘patching you up’, and your shirt is already damn near ruined. You’re thanking whatever powers-that-be that forced you to wear your cute bra today, as half a classroom and one cute professor have all seen the lace and little bows against your skin. 

“Especially at this point, my dear, just call me Ford.” He smiles sheepishly at you as he places the gnome’s cage beneath his desk. His mop of hair returns from beneath the desk, turning to look at you. Seeming a little nervous himself, he motions for you to sit on the desk before reaching into a drawer, grabbing a couple tubes of something and a roll of bandages. 

His back is facing you as you hop up onto the desk, your feet dangling from the floor. One hand covers your exposed skin at your chest as you rest your other hand on the desk itself, fingers tapping anxiously at the wood. 

Ford is quiet as he hastily wraps his own hand, still turned away from you. You can see his eyes flicker away from his hand to glance at you from over his shoulder. His cheeks are a little pinker with each glance–like he’s trying to psych himself up for this. You’re almost grateful to see that this is awkward for him, too.

“Alright.” He says, after a silence that felt too long, “I have to disinfect the wounds with an anti-venom, and then treat them and wrap you up. Gnome scratches always seem to scar, but this should keep them on the small side.” He is looking down at one of the unmarked tubes in his non-bandaged hand as he sidles up beside you, standing at your side in front of the desk, just close enough that if you inched a little closer, you’d be touching thighs.

Ford finally meets your eye and smiles, and although it’s nervous, the smile is genuine. “Are you sure you’re, ah..Alright with this?” He gestures with his bandaged hand to your exposed skin, glancing at your chest as he does. 

You feel your cheeks flush at the attention, but nod. “Actually, it might be easier if I, uhm…” Without finishing your sentence, you lift the bottom of your shirt up and over your head, holding the shirt for a moment before placing it on the desk at your side. You swallow hard, unable to meet his eye for a moment– _holy shit did I just do that?_ Without thinking, you cover your exposed stomach with one arm. You feel your ears burning, but clear your throat, looking up at him expectantly.

His eyes are glued to your face, searching for something. Scanning your eyes, to the reds of your cheeks, briefly stopping at your lips. Ford’s lips are slightly open, and his face is as flushed as yours. “Yes, uhm..Th-Thank you.” He swallows hard as he inches closer at your side, looking at you tentatively. You give him a quick nod, sitting up to put out your chest toward him. He’s still searching your face as he stands so close to you, his outer thigh just grazing against your own as he moves beside you.

Warm, slightly-calloused fingers land at your skin, one finger tracing against a deeper scratch just below your collarbone. He sighs a nervous breath, squeezing one of the tubes and swiping at the nozzle with one finger before his fingers meet the bloodied scratch. You hiss in pain without intending to, and his eyes shoot up to meet yours. His hands are shaking slightly, and his lips are parted as if he wants to ask you the question that his eyes portray. You feel your face redden, but nod to him in encouragement. He’s so much closer than you thought he was, so close you can feel his breath on your cheek, and see his adam’s apple bob as his eyes travel to your lips once more. He’s being affected by this, too; his eyes are wide, the tips of his ears burning red like his cheeks while his fingers shake against your skin.

Ford clears his throat, his eyes back to his own hand as he carefully smears antiseptic on your skin. He’s quiet—for him, anyway. Usually he will prattle on about various creatures he’s encountered, or interesting conversations he’s had with other professors. But not now. Now, his six fingers are trembling, hovering gingerly above the lace at your breast. He’s blinking with uncertainty, almost as though if he took his eyes from your skin, you would disappear completely.

“Sir.” you whisper, ducking your head slightly to meet his eye. His breath catches at your gaze, and he almost curls away from you. As you inch closer, his hand lands to gingerly cup at the breast he was so intently staring at just a moment ago. He looks down at it with wide eyes, then back up at you. His head is just slightly lower than yours, thanks to the height of the desk you’re sitting on. His lips are parted again, as if to ask a question, but before any words can come forth, you close the gap between his lips and your own. You feel him startle at the touch, but lean into your lips. Your fingers find his cheek, feeling the slight stubble there as you caress him.

His soft lips part against your own, his tongue flicking out to trace against your bottom lip. You try to stifle the sigh at your throat, but a quiet strangled sound escapes to his mouth. He groans in response, pressing his chest against yours as his hand tentatively cups your breast, thumb gingerly brushing against the forgotten wounds there. You hear Ford drop his other hand to the desk, leaning against it as he pushes a little further into you. His tongue explores your mouth as you knot your fist into his sweater vest. You feel his smile at your lips, but move to take his bottom lip between your teeth, pride swelling at the groan you elicit from his throat.

You spend another moment like this, tongues twisted together and goosebumps rising from your exposed skin. He pulls away first, but waits to open his eyes, as though he would ruin the illusion and wake up from this dream. The smile playing at your lips widens, and you reach over to bump his arm, willing his eyes open. He opens one eye just a crack, unable to hide the crooked grin splayed across his face. He chuckles warmly, lifting his hand to rest gently against your forearm. 

“Sorry, I…I’m not sure what came over me.” Ford has a sheepish look in his eye, but from the smile still laid at his lips, he doesn’t feel too terrible. You, however, feel a little guilty. Heat forms at your cheeks once more, realizing you somewhat goaded him on…and maybe had thought up a few similar scenarios of this in your downtime. 

“It was sort of my fault.” You answer, nibbling at your bottom lip, “I can understand if you, uh… If this was just an accident, though. It.. You don’t have to worry about it.” You stumble over your words, not quite willing to meet his eye. Nervous fingers wring at your tattered shirt, forgotten in your lap.

You make a move to get up, but you’re stopped by a firm, yet gentle grip on your chin. Ford lifts your head slightly to meet his eye, looking at you with a stern fondness you’ve seen before. “I can assure you, this,” He motions between the two of you, “Wasn’t a mistake. I…Well, I hadn’t intended this entire scenario to happen, what with gnome-related injuries and all.” Releasing your chin, he picks the gauze back up from its place on the desk, working at patching the wound on your chest. 

“But, it felt like that was what you wanted. In that moment, I did too.” You look at him uncertainty, but his eyes are at your wound, actually concentrating as he speaks. “I do enjoy your company, you know. And you are, ah.. Rather pretty.” Amber eyes glance at you sidelong, blush rising to his cheeks as he catches your gaze. “I can’t say I haven’t thought about you in, ah, that fashion.”

You laugh a little at the awkwardness of it all, rubbing the back of your neck. “Glad to know it’s mutual.”

He’s smiling as he finishes up, apparently happy with the job he’s done. He takes a step back, just to give you another once-over, cheeks pink. “Well then, I…Have office hours later this afternoon, if you’d like to come..chat?” Ford cocks his brow at you, smile turning into a smirk. He looks down at the shirt in your lap, seeming to remember something as he ducks his head into one of the drawers of his desk. 

“If that’s what you’d like,” You grin, moving to replace your shirt, “I’d love to.” You barely have the shirt above your head before he stops you, taking the shirt from your hand and handing you a plain, olive green sweater. 

“I’ve learned to keep extra on campus, especially after the barf fairy incident.” Ford grins, taking your torn shirt and tossing it into a drawer, closing it with his foot. He moves to lean at the wall beside his desk, checking his watch as you slip on the sweater. It’s a bit big for you, but you relish in its warmth at your skin. 

“Thank you, Ford.” You’re still smiling like a dope, looking up at him. You brush a curl from his forehead, and he leans down against your hand, sneaking an extra kiss from your lips. 

“You leave first.” He smiles, motioning to the door, “Don’t want people to gossip.” A wink from him earns a nudge from you, and the two of you laugh again. The softness of that look in his eye is so welcome after such tension earlier.

You gather yourself, smoothing down your hair and shifting the sweater on your shoulder to sit just so. It’s a welcome fashion statement, you think. He turns the knob to his door with one hand, the other resting at your back as he smooches the top of your head once more. His hand guides you through the door as he opens it, leaning against the doorframe slightly. “I’ll see you in a while.” He whispers, eyes scanning the near-empty hallway. You lean up, almost at your toes to kiss him again, but the loud **bang** of a nearby classroom opening up to release its students startles you both. You grin at him as you move away, walking fast to join the flow of foot-traffic.

“See you later, Dr. Pines!” You call as you leave, pink cheeks faintly sore from all the dopey smiling, yet you can’t stop.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for all the love on my fics! i love y'all! part 2 of this will happen if enough people want it!


End file.
